When does the Team GO Rocket hot air balloon appear, and what grunts can I encounter?

Solution 1:

You can expect or trigger 4 balloons (and thus battles) daily, in four different time blocks. Those time blocks are (your local time):

1. 0:00 - 5:59
2. 6:00 - 11:59
3. 12:00 - 17:59
4. 18:00 - 23:59

Depending on which rocket radar you have equipped, you can find different grunts or bosses, or even Giovanni himself. When you have no Rocket Radar equipped, you encounter regular grunts. When you have a Rocket Radar equipped, you have a high chance of encountering a Team Rocket leader (Sierra, Arlo or Cliff). If you have a Super Rocket Radar, you are guaranteed to find Giovanni! You can un-equip a Rocket Radar in case you want to fight a specific Team Rocket leader.